Vox traces the link between ice skating and white privilege to the late 18th century

Vox is publishing this piece because “in order for the sport to survive,” ice skating has to change from its 18th-century roots in privilege.

In the late 18th century, ice skating clubs typically excluded women, Jews, people of color, and low-income people.

Skating and privilege have long gone hand in hand. In order for the sport to survive, this has to change: https://t.co/8V2voE2SZb

— Vox (@voxdotcom) February 20, 2021

Rebecca Jennings writes:

The prognosis for fixing American figure skating is bleak: In order to be competitive with the Russians, who have dominated the sport by building elite state-sponsored academies to churn out Olympic contenders, the US would have to dramatically alter the way it approaches both figure skating and youth sports in general, so that children beyond the most privileged could have a real shot.

…

Figure skating has more or less always been this way. “The skating that turned into figure skating over a couple of centuries really does have roots among elite white European men,” explains Mary Louise Adams, a professor of kinesiology at Queen’s University and author of Artistic Impressions: Figure Skating, Masculinity, and the Limits of Sport. Evolving in the UK as a popular amusement for the aristocracy in the late 18th century, skating clubs typically excluded women, Jews, people of color, and low-income people. “The aesthetics of the sport itself developed in line with that,” Adams says.

The thing about academia is you can always find a professor to say exactly what you need her to say, regardless of how stupid it is.

How can it be that Vox often is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy

I just don't see how it's possible

— Enrique in the BK ? (@enrique_pause) February 20, 2021

pic.twitter.com/PoIfP0sAyJ

— RdgebckRnch (@grgoyldef2) February 20, 2021

Posted the same day Fox News reports DeBlasio cancelled Trump’s ice skating rink contracts. I may be way off, but I can connect the dots…

Trump freeze-out: De Blasio puts former president's NYC rink contracts on icehttps://t.co/vovBFpVm6w

— ProbationaryRaiderFan (@Ih8peoplemostly) February 20, 2021

In the mid-19th century, the Democrat Party typically excluded women, Jews, people of color, and low-income people.

The DNC and privilege have long gone hand in hand. In order for democracy to survive, this has to change.

— Michael (@TexAgg04) February 20, 2021

"And don't get me started about jousting…"

— Pete (@PeteInTheNorth) February 20, 2021

Really reevaluate the employment status of whoever wrote this and the editors that approved it.

Better yet, reevaluate the entire publication.

— Northman (@DredPirate998) February 20, 2021

Lol. Those darn 1700s.

— Tiffany (@Tiff_Girls) February 20, 2021

You know no one gives a shit right?

— the unicorn daddy (@theunicorndaddy) February 20, 2021

There was literal slavery in the 18th century but Vox is mad about iceskating.

— Saladin Khan (@MC_Sadist) February 20, 2021

It’s not worth the click, but you would not believe how long this piece is. Our guess is that not one person reads the whole thing, but the crux seems to be this:

The days of American dominance on international podiums are gone. They won’t reverse course unless the US government or US Figure Skating decides that they suddenly want to provide massive subsidies for young skaters to train as frequently and intensely as they do abroad.

We’d wager ice skating subsidies are somewhere in the COVID relief bill already.

Related:

Vox and IGN fretting over what Harry Potter fans should do since author J.K. Rowling is ‘transphobic’ https://t.co/uQiMj5QUVZ

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) February 3, 2021